Vol 55 Issue 1 St. Pius X Catholic High School 2674 Johnson Road NE Atlanta, Georgia 30345 404.636.3023 www.spx.org September 30, 2016

Golden LinesA student publication of St. Pius X Catholic High School

OPINIONS

CENTERSPREAD

SPORTS

FEATURES

NEWS

Which is the best breakfast restaurant: Waffle House or

iHop? Students debate the issue on page 3

The Class of 2017 was challenged to “Go Out Golden.”

Find out more on page 4

Find out which teacher spends his free time SCUBA diving

on page 8

Read about what it’s like to be a freshman competing on a varsity

team on page 10

Meet the newest additions to the SPX family on pages 6 and 7

It’s a Friday night on Oc-tober 20 at 6:59 p.m., and se-nior Pius Player Haley Shaw nervously waits in the wings for one of the biggest nights of her life to begin. She pinky promises with the other cast members instead of telling them to break a leg, one of the many superstitions she performs before heading on stage.

For Shaw and the other Pius Players, it’s finally show-time. All of their hard work, dedication and long weekend hours have paid off.

“Before the show,” junior cast member Nigel Sapp said, “I’ll look at everyone, and I’ll see that we made it this far. There’ll be no need to worry because the practice will pay off. Once you say that first line, all the pressure is off, and you can really enjoy per-forming the show.”

Backtrack to today, where the pre-production is still in place. Casting has been completed, so the tight-knit group of students has begun meticulously reading over their script to perfect their lines and form the characters through whom they are about to live, eat and breath.

This year’s fall play, “The Last Day of School,” will run from October 20 through Oc-tober 23. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the show starts at 7:00 p.m., and on Sunday there will be a matinee at 2:00 p.m.

The play details the final day of school for a group of senior students. The narra-tor, played by Shaw, describes the events that occur as the seniors try to do “whatever they wished they’d done, be-cause it’s their last chance,” Shaw said.

“During the second semes-ter of Drama II last year,” Sapp said, “the class went over the play. A bunch of sug-gestions were thrown around, but everyone agreed that it sounded like a pretty nice play to put on. One reason we picked this play was because it concerned high schoolers. While that poses a challenge for us, it makes the play more

interesting.”Shaw and Sapp both

agree that this is the hard-est play they have rehearsed. “It’s definitely a hard role to play,” Shaw said. “When I played Frenchie in ‘Grease,’ she was animated and ditzy, but now my character is a teen from this century and she’s the complete opposite of Frenchie.”

“Ms. Spark says this is the hardest acting that we’ll do,” Shaw continued. “And I get what she means. It’s hard to separate myself from the character, because I have to play a teenager but that teen-ager can’t be anything like me.”

As Sapp put it, “I have to distance myself from this per-son so much that I have to know what he eats for break-fast every day and what his fa-vorite hobby is. How far can I get from being myself without taking it out of the realm of being a teenager but enough to go beyond myself?”

The play is also unusual

in the fact that Ms. Spark is incorporating contributions from other areas of the fine arts departments, such as the guitar program. “It’s like nothing like we’ve ever done before,” Shaw said.

“Ms. Spark likes to call it a ‘collaborative effort of the fine arts,’” Sapp added.

“The Last Day of School”

is sure to be unforgettable. “You know these characters. Everyone knows them,” Shaw said, which makes the show that much more enjoyable for the audience. “The couple that has been together for four years. The inseparable best friends. The bromance. You can't help but find some-thing relatable in this show

Call 911! New club’s mixtape causes major fireSenior starts new Music Technology Club

After school, as you walk through the halls of St. Pius X, you hear vocals, beats and bass drops. Listening for where the music is coming from, you find yourself at room 303.

When you peek your head through the door, you can see students mixing and collabo-rating with each other to make music from scratch. You think to yourself, what is this club, and how can I be a part of it?

Ever since club sign-up day earlier this month, the all new Music Technology Club has erupted with interested mem-bers who are passionate about music.

There are many purposes for the Music Technology Club, but one of its largest projects is to perform at the Fine Arts Assembly next se-mester, an event where each of the fine arts programs have an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Last year, the new Music Technology class shocked the school with an upbeat and en-gaging performance.

“I was pleasantly surprised, and it was also a nice change of pace,” junior Jacob Kieffer said.

This year, the club will aim to create a similar vibe with the hopes of putting their own spin on the set.

Besides performing in the arts assembly, the Music Technology Club also wants to create the music that will be played in the football and basketball pre-game pump-up videos. While these videos ex-cite the school with highlights and footage from the games, the club thinks that an origi-nal St. Pius song can enhance the overall effect that the vid-eo has on the student body.

“It allows the club to have a more active presence in the St. Pius community,” said senior Katie Blackburn.

Blackburn spearheaded

the formation of this innova-tive new club. “All students who have a passion for music are encouraged to join,” ex-plained Blackburn. “No expe-rience is needed.”

Music technology teacher Mr. Gerel McIntosh pur-chased new equipment this semester for both his classes and for the club to help them in their music production.

This equipment, called push systems, is “a hardware and software that was created by the renowned music pro-duction company Ableton, which allows students to easily produce and edit audio,” Mr. McIntosh said.

Meetings are on Monday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 in room 303. Get ready for this year’s arts assembly as well as the many other St. Pius events that the Music Tech-nology Club will be apart of. They may just blow the roof off the gym with their fire mixtape.

BRENNAN QUINNStaff Writer

MEGAN MITTELHAMMEREditor-in-Chief

Fall play is ‘nothing like we’ve ever done before’

“The Last Day of School” cast is looking forward to per-forming the fall play. Tickets go on sale October 11. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Deanna Jones.

opinionsSeptember 30, 2016

2Golden Lines

Editor-In-ChiefTaylor Corley

Megan Mittelhammer

Staff WritersCarolina BenoitRose BrewsterSophie BurnettMatthew Francis

Will GalvinJill Gilbert

Liam HardyRiley Luckmann

Henry QueenBrennan QuinnSarah Van Duser

AdviserAshley Curlette

PrincipalSteve Spellman

The Golden Lines is published approximately 8 times per school year by the students of St. Pius X Catholic High School for the entire student body and surrounding community.

Views presented by the Golden Lines publication are not necessarily those of school faculty, school administration, publication adviser or advertisers. Topics, facts and opinions associated with the Roman Catholic Church will be in keeping with such teachings. Letters to the editors are encouraged and welcomed but must be signed by the writer. They should be addressed to the editors and delivered to them in the care of the Golden Lines adviser, Ms. Ashley Curlette.

Please bring all signed letters to room 304 or email them to acurlette@spx.org. The Golden Lines reserves the right to edit any letters. Letters to the editor will not be published anonymously.

St. Pius X CatholicHigh School

2674 Johnson Road, NEAtlanta, Georgia 30345

404-636-3023 phone404-633-8387 fax

www.spx.org

Golden Lines What We Think... Bentley brings nothing but positive benefits to campus

H e r e we are again, one calendar year later since the last Music Midtown a n d

thousands of people

still excitedly headed over to Piedmont Park the weekend of September 17 and 18. With an amazing lineup, fun atmosphere and variety of food choices, you would have been a fool not to go.

If you were at last year’s show, you were probably either hanging out with your parents listening to Van Halen or sinking into a depression swaying along to Sam Smith’s music, but this year you were most likely jumping up and down listening Deadmau5 or singing along to The Killers.

The headliners this year were The Killers, Twenty-One Pilots, Beck and Deadmau5. These artists were already an improvement over last year’s headliners, and the rest of the lineup was equally as impressive.

On Saturday, the weather was perfect, the food was amazing, and the music was super fun. The first standout group was DNCE, which

was where many teenage girls crowded to see their long time crush, Joe Jonas perform. Later in the night G-Easy and Collegrove (aka 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne) wowed thousands of people with their upbeat performances and popular rap music.

Senior Kat Otto agreed. She said, “I was super excited about G-Easy. I saw him in concert last year and it was so much fun to see him again.

Although the next day all the people planning on going to Music Midtown woke up to sound of heavy rain, that didn’t deter many from seeing some of the great artists on the agenda for the day. Thousands of people still stuck around even when the whole park had to be evacuated due to threats from the serious weather. When Music Midtown was reopened at 5:30, the gates were flooded and the festival resumed.

At this point everyone was soaked and lots of shoes were ruined but no one cared because they were too busy enjoying some of the best artists of the night. These included James Bay, Kesha, DJ Mustard. Deadmau5 and The Killers.

“Kesha’s performance was so inspiring,” exclaimed senior Abby Thomas. “She

seemed so strong and it was so fun to hear a lot of her old songs.”

Then there was James Bay who was definitely one of the most talented artists on the lineup. If you didn’t go to see him, then you need get your hearing checked out, because not a lot of people can compare to him.

DJ Mustard, Deadmau5, and The Killers were at the

Music Midtown: totally worth itvery end of Music Midtown and closed out the night with fantastic performances.

For those of you that weren’t there, Music Midtown was amazing and unforgettable. Next year you better not forget to pick up your ticket or else you may spend a couple weeks regretting your decision not to go all over again.

We know that some peo-ple are uneasy about the new drug dog, Bentley. We know that some people are ecstatic about this new opportunity to maintain the integrity of our school. We know that some people don’t really care either way.

Whatever your feelings toward the subject, the fact is that Bentley can only be ben-eficial to St. Pius X.

Our parents make many

sacrifices for us; they pay a lot of money for us to attend school here. They don’t pay thousands of dollars for us to be surrounded by detrimen-tal peer pressure that might persuade us to partake in the falsely advertised glamor of drugs.

“I think the assembly about Bentley really helped clear things up for a lot of the students,” said senior Sophie Burnett. “Now that I

know more about what’s go-ing on, I feel like this year is going to be a lot more stress-free because of the new poli-cies.”

Sure, we realize people make bad choices. We are humans and we make mis-takes. But bringing drugs or alcohol to campus is more than a mistake -- it’s just ir-responsible, not to mention illegal. Choosing to bring drugs to the school is like voluntarily jumping into a tank full of hungry sharks.

Now we have a guard dog in both the metaphorical and literal sense -- Bentley is here to protect the integrity of our school and our respect-ed reputation.

Bentley’s arrival also al-lows for some students to have an easy out when faced with peer pressure. As stu-dents who constantly feel society’s flippant attitude toward participation in illicit activities, we recognize how

SOPHIE BURNETTStaff Writer

difficult standing up to our friends and classmates can be.

Now that we have a drug dog visiting our hallways randomly, we can use him as a legitimate excuse for refus-ing drugs or alcohol.

No one wants to be the student who gets caught. No one wants to be the student who gets expelled. No one wants to be the student who gets arrested.

Bentley’s presence deters students from making bad choices, therefore creating a better learning environment for everyone at St. Pius. Ac-cording to Bentley’s han-dler, “Raising the risk for the risk takers” also means “lessening the pressure and distraction of illegal activity for the careful and dedicated students.”

For the sake of our integ-rity, safety and security, let’s welcome Bentley with open arms. Just don’t pet him.

Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, performed with his band on the final night of Music Midtown to end a weekend of fantastic music. Photo courtesy of Rob Loud on Gwinnett Daily Post.

Bentley relaxes during an all-school assembly in August. Photo courtesy of Mr. Chad Barwick.

opinionsSeptember 30, 2016

3Golden Lines

The ultimate breakfast champion: Waffle House or iHOP?S t u -

dents may a r g u e over their f a v o r i t e flavors of Powerade, the best t o p p i n g s on pizza

or even who is the worst at Geometry, but, there is one unanimous decision that goes without saying: waffles are bet-ter than pancakes.

Most members of the St. Pius X community will agree that Waffle House is more than just a syrup-scented brick building, it’s a home. Waffle House is your go-to if you’re looking for an easily affordable meal or just a friendly face to greet you at the door, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While iHOP, a competing breakfast restaurant, is also well-known nationwide and serves a wide range of popular menu items, Waffle House is the true breakfast icon of the South.

As a fan of chocolate chip waffles with hashbrowns, ju-nior Dermot Hegarty agreed. “I’ve never really liked iHOP,” he said. “I’ve only been a cou-ple of times but I think the food is just better at Waffle House.”

Also in favor of a heaping plate of WAHO hashbrowns, senior Taylor Whitcomb or-ders his “smothered and covered, duh.” In addition to its mouthwatering menu, he proudly declared Waffle House is his “sanctuary where I can unwind.”

Senior Sarah Marshall de-scribed this award-winning waffle restaurant as her “deli-cious happy home.” Marshall, who dines weekly at the Deca-tur location with close friend senior Maggie Cleary, thanked Waffle House for opening her eyes to the world of waffles and “making life truly worth living.”

Although she questioned their decision to remove blue-berry waffles from the menu, “the regular waffles never fail to put a smile on my face,” she announced with a grin.

Not only do individual stu-dents love it, but athletes also benefit from Waffle House’s comforting environment, be-ing able to relax and take it easy after an emotionally or physically draining game or match.

Senior football player Ben-nett Hardee also enjoys his weekly visits to Waffle House after Friday night football games. With a consistent or-der of cheese eggs, Hardee believes Waffle House is bet-ter than iHOP “because it just is and there’s no debating on that topic.”

Not only is it welcoming to many varieties of people,

Waffle House employees also make an effort to build rela-tionships with their customers. “The people working there al-ways ask me about my day and that is really important to me,” sophomore Sean Laubenthal said.

You may have imagined Waffle House as some cheap fast food restaurant with bad service, but talk to any num-ber of St. Pius students and they’ll tell you otherwise. Nonetheless, if for some rea-son you do prefer thin, half-cooked pancakes over thick, fluffy waffles, then iHOP is the place for you.

Overall, everyone (well, almost), can agree that the sticky, syrup-covered tables of iHOP cannot compare to the five-star food, friendly em-ployees and cozy atmosphere of Waffle House.

You’re in the m i n i v a n on your way back from Sun-day Mass. Y o u r b r o t h e r is in the

back, complaining he’s tired of eating the same French toast your dad makes every weekend. Your mother is in the passenger seat, feeling a headache coming on. Your dad is speeding down the highway, and, looking to his right, sees an exit sign adver-tising a Waffle House and iHOP at the next exit.

When faced with this deci-sion between two seemingly equal restaurants, the choice is obvious and you excitedly tell your dad to pull into the iHOP parking lot.

There are countless rea-sons why iHOP is better than Waffle House. Take, for ex-ample, the overall dining ex-perience.

When I walk in to iHOP everything is clean, the res-taurant smells wonderful and the waitstaff is beyond pleasant. I have never have sat down in something sticky or had my table covered in old maple syrup that takes minutes to scrub off my hands.

In addition to keeping the restaurant sparkling clean, iHOP’s waitstaff makes me feel welcomed and comfort-able. At Waffle House I am given a waiter who seems to hate his job and dread every second he is there. On top of this, they are slower than snails.

“I remember when I went to waffle house over the summer and it took them 40 minutes to get me my food,” said senior Ryan Connor. “Even after all that time they still messed it up.”

When I’m at Waffle

House and my order is not correct, I have to wait anoth-er 20 minutes for my fresh plate of food to arrive.

But when I’m at iHOP, the waiters immediately apologize and correct my or-der in mere minutes, making me feel important.

The large menu of choices at iHOP by far surpasses that of Waffle House as well. On the surface several breakfast items may seem similar, but the overall difference in vari-ety is tremendous.

The bacon, eggs and hashbrowns are essentially the same at both restaurants. But at iHOP, the fluffy and delicious pancakes come in so many different flavors with several different top-pings, from regular pancakes topped with the strawberries and bananas to chocolate chip. Whether you prefer soft Belgian waffles or fresh pancakes, iHOP has it all.

Waffle House, on the oth-er hand, gives me the same old boring waffles over and over. “I love the waffles at Waffle House, but sometimes I am just in the mood for some pancakes, not waffles.” said freshman Joe Castro.

Not only does iHOP of-fer a wider variety of choices, but the food also tastes bet-ter. The decadent eggs are served with mouthwatering bacon and golden brown hashbrowns. The delicious pancakes are served with soft creamy butter to top them off. This amazing food makes my taste buds feel like they are in Heaven. Waffle House’s rubbery eggs, on the other hand, cause my stom-ach to shrivel in disgust.

iHOP’s greatness is all thanks to their pleasant staff, quality food, and great at-mosphere. When looking for superior breakfast, look no further than iHOP, the true breakfast king!

MATTHEW FRANCISStaff Writer

Scrumptious pancakes or mouthwatering waffles? When it comes to the ultimate breakfast champion, which res-taurant takes the prize: Waffle House or iHop?

SARAH VAN DUSERStaff Writer

Homecoming Week! October 3-7Monday: Sports Jersey Day

Tuesday: Twin DayWednesday: Pajama Day

Thursday: Homecoming T-Shirt DayFriday: Costume Day

Saturday: Homecoming Dance 7:30-11:00

Freshmen: Reggae

Sophomores: Rock ‘n RollJuniors: Country

Seniors: Hip-hop

news September 30, 2016

4Golden Lines

The marching band will perform their Steampunk’d show during every football halftime as well as competitions throughout the month of October, including the Lions Den Marching Invitational hosted by St. Pius on October 29.

St. Pius X challenged the graduating Class of 2017 with a new fundraising initiative this year known as Going Out Golden.

Director of Alumni Rela-tions Mrs. Karoline Brennan and Advancement Coordina-tor Mrs. Mary Beyer created the challenge and aim for 100% class participation, or to raise $2,017, the same amount as the seniors’ graduation year.

Going Out Golden is an ex-tension of the Annual Fund, which is usually targeted for parents and alumni. The cam-paign gives the Class of 2017 an opportunity to be the first class ever to participate in the fundraiser. The new initiative challenges the current seniors to have 100% participation and, as Mrs. Beyer pointed out, “set a precedent for un-

derclassmen, so they say, ‘well, the Class of 2017 did it.’”

The challenge to get full participation from the senior class is admittedly difficult, but the goal for the soon-to-be alumni is to “get into a habit of giving back to the school,” according to Mrs. Beyer. The money is meant to come from the students instead of parents in order to promote and instill the value of generosity with these seniors for the future.

In Ms. Beyer’s mind, “It’s not really a matter of how much you give, it just matters that you give something. Par-ticipation sometimes is a big-ger indicator to everyone else that shows that you guys are really dedicated to this.”

In other words, participa-tion is more important than the amount given. The goal of the challenge is to invite the seniors to be generous with their blessings and become

accustomed to giving back to their community.

To reach the $2,017 goal, each student would only have to donate about $8. Acknowl-edging that not every student has unlimited funds, Ms. Bey-er suggested, “It’s really about looking at what you have in your pocket at the end of the day instead of going to the Roar Store… or Starbucks.”

There are a variety of ways seniors can save some money and contribute to the fund. Hannah Weissinger plans to “save the money I spend on coffee every week” and donate a small sum.

Why should a senior do-nate? For starters, if the goal is reached before the Homecom-ing football game on Friday, October 7, an announcement will be made during the game in front of the returning alum-ni. A plaque commemorating the achievement will also be

awarded, and it would be “the first one, and there will hope-fully be more to come,” said Ms. Beyer. The honor of be-ing the first class to participate fully creates a great legacy for the graduating seniors.

But donating to the senior fundraising campaign is not just about a plaque, according to Ms. Beyer.

“I think it’s about being proud of being a part of this community,” she said. “I think we’ve seen how generous folks are before us and should turn around and follow that same

model. Sometimes it’s not about getting something, it’s more about giving.”

Senior Rachel Torres plans to donate to Going Out Gold-en because “even though I’m leaving St. Pius after this year, I want to support the school because I know there are so many other generations that will come through. I want to leave something behind, not just leave.”

The challenge has already begun, but set dates for the col-lection of donations are Octo-ber 3-6 during lunch periods.

CAROLINA BENOITStaff Writer

Seniors challenged to “Go Out Golden”

Students take initiative to find the college of their choice

Big school? Small school? Public? Private? For St. Pius X juniors and seniors, the college search process can be overwhelming and intimidat-ing. To help narrow down potential schools, upperclass-men have taken advantage of several opportunities to assist them with their college search process.

One of the best ways to get more familiar with a college is to actually visit the campus. Senior Ellie Collins, who vis-ited four colleges this summer, including the University of Georgia, said the tour “helped me get the best idea for what the school is.” She said that on these visits, she usually got to see the classrooms, dorm rooms, athletic facilities and dining halls.

Senior Joe Stephens also had the privilege of touring Georgia Tech, UGA, Geor-gia Southern and Kennesaw State University. He said that the experience was beneficial to his college search. “It re-ally helped to give me an idea of what it would be like to live there and if it is what I really wanted in a college,” Stephens said.

While the college search isn’t as urgent for juniors, some students have already started the process. Junior Tessa Luccarini, for example, was convinced after visiting the Boston College campus that she wants to apply her se-nior year.

“I enjoyed the people, lo-cation, and atmosphere sur-rounding the college,” Lucca-rini said.

In addition to visiting col-lege campuses, many students also take advantage of infor-mation sessions from differ-

ent college representatives at St. Pius throughout the fall. Senior Liam Hardy said this is almost as beneficial as a college visit because “I got pamphlets and a lot of things I would get if I actually visited the college.”

Senior Clare Thanner agreed, saying that she learned about “activities, academics, and what it is like to go to the school” during her infor-mation sessions from Boston College, Villanova, and Holy Cross.

According to Director of Guidance and Counseling Mrs. Jenniffer Kapp, another benefit of attending college vis-its at St. Pius is that “students have the opportunity to ask any questions they have as well as meet and start to develop a relationship with the college representative that will be re-viewing their application in the admissions process.”

A third option for students to continue their college search is to attend college fairs. Junior Emma Buyarski went to one at the Cobb Galleria this August that featured over 300 colleg-es. While she received valuable information at this fair, Buyar-ski said, “it was overwhelming because it was in a small space with lots of people.”

On the other hand, junior Taylor Corley thought the same college fair was benefi-cial, and she “ended up nar-rowing down my choices for colleges I want to go to.” Cor-ley also said she found a list of colleges that were going to be at the fair in advance and created a list of the tables she wanted to visit.

If you are dreading the col-lege search process, many stu-dents think that college cam-pus tours, fairs and visits that come to St. Pius can ease these pressures.

RILEY LUCKMANNStaff Writer

Marching to the beat of their 19th century drum, band opens new halftime show

As halftime of a Golden Lions football game begins, the players jog off the field, the fans rush to the conces-sion stand for a Lion Slush and a hot dog and all eyes turn to the St. Pius X March-ing Band. It is officially half-time at George B. Maloof stadium! This year, the band transforms the hyped-up sta-dium into a mystical world of music called Steampunk’d.

Before playing a single note, however, the band di-rectors had to come up with a theme.

“Late last school year there were many ideas thrown out including trains, classical and industrial,” As-sistant Band Director Mr. Ian LaBreck said.

Instead of choosing one of the many themes, the band decided to combine all themes into one jam-packed show titled “Steampunk’d, Soundscapes of Innovation.”

Junior flagline mem-ber Mae Cannon described Steampunk’d as “a Victori-an-Industrial style. A blast from the past sprinkled with aspects of the future.”

The performance begins when the football field is converted into the streets of the Victorian age, where fla-gline members shake hands and interact with the band. This is followed by an upbeat musical piece called “Upris-

BRENNAN QUINNStaff Writer

ing” by Muse. The show then slows into a visual represen-tation of water and wind as the flags flow like waves while the band sways like the wind.

Then, the drum line showcases their skills during the drum break. Finally, the show comes to a close with “London 1856” by Walid Feghali, an appropriate song to close the performance.

The band is also introduc-ing a new instrument to this year’s performance. One of the most iconic instruments in the Steampunk’d era is

the accordion, which senior Trevor Stanca learned how to play specifically for the Steampunk’d show. “It was very easy to learn and it truly enhances the performance,” Stanca said.

Retro-looking technol-ogy, creatively designed props and visual displays of the future combined with the past are all things that you should expect to see from the St. Pius Marching Golden Lions performance of their new halftime show “Steampunk’d, Soundscapes of Innovation.”

news 5September 30, 2016

Golden Lines

While most of their friends were at Piedmont Park at-tending Music Midtown on the weekend of September 17, the Dance team was hard at work with two professional dance choreographers. The team practiced Friday night, all day Saturday and all day Sunday, absorbing as much as possible from the two very talented and well respected choreographers flown in all the way from Los Angeles.

Going into this school year, dance team coach Mrs. Liz Ross knew that in order to continue the team’s popu-larity and success, they would need to intensify their chore-ography and routines.

“Hip-Hop routines were definitely the most crowd-pleasing routines last year, so we decided to make that our focus this year,” Mrs. Ross said.

The dance team will per-form two different routines this season, one featuring up-beat Justin Bieber songs, the other a mashup of old school hip-hop.

Mrs. Ross who lived in Los Angeles for a period of time, made many connec-tions with professional danc-ers and models. Katie Milne and Kevin Daniels, both pro-fessional choreographers and fitness models, had exactly

the right credentials needed to catapult the team to the next level.

“I thought of no one else!” said Mrs. Ross when asked why she contacted Milne and Daniels out of everyone she is acquainted with in the busi-ness.

Milne and Daniels became friends and coworkers nearly six years ago when they be-gan working as trainers for Tracy Anderson Fitness in Los Angeles. Two years later they became acquainted with Mrs. Ross, who quickly be-came one of the two’s favorite clients.

“You can’t help but love Mrs. Ross,” said Milne when asked what brought the three together. “She won’t let you give up, she carries positive energy wherever she goes.”

Milne became passion-ate about dance at the age of twelve when she received a scholarship to a dance school in Los Angeles. Originally from Ohio, Milne moved to Los Angeles as a young adult and got her first taste of pro-fessional dance when she performed on MTV’s show “NEXT.”

Now 13 years later, Milne is not only a successful chore-ographer but also has made a name for herself in the fitness modeling world.

Milne personalized and choreographed a routine

to go along with the dance team’s Justin Bieber mix. “My main goal,” Milne said, “is to make sure the girls feel comfortable, confident and at the end of the routine, I’d like them to love what they are doing.”

Like Milne, Daniels also appeared on MTV’s “NEXT,” as an actor on the show in early 2004. Daniels hit the professional dance scene in 2005 when he was a choreographer on Destiny’s Child world tour, “Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin’ It.”

When asked at what point in his life did he know he wanted to be a choreogra-pher, Daniels responded, “In the early nineties, the first time I had ever seen Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, that’s when I knew.”

Daniels also personally choreographed a routine for the dance team, his involving old school hip hop. Artists such as LL Cool J, Run DMC, Rappers Delight and Sugar Hill Gang have been incor-porated into the mix.

Daniels had a few goals in mind going into working with the team. “I want them to show me their own, indi-vidual passion for dance,” he said. Daniels explained that once a choreographer can bring the passion out of the dancer, the magic happens.

One of Mrs. Ross’s biggest

goals for this year was to set the dance team apart from the cheer and contemporary dance programs here at St. Pius. When Daniels was asked how he plans to try and help fulfill this goal he responded, “No one can put you in the back if you deserve to be in the front.”

“It was an amazing expe-rience working with Katie and Kevin. They were fun and interactive, as a team we learned so much in such a short amount of time,” senior Fabi Cruz said.

There is no question that Milne and Daniels made a lasting impression on the entire team. However one weekend was not the only hard work the team has put in before the approaching season.

This past summer was

filled with voluntary work-outs as well as practices to help keep their dance skills sharp. Senior Ireland Ha-thaway said, “[Mrs. Ross] was always finding new ways to make the practices produc-tive.” The team continues to practice twice a week up until the start of the season when they begin practicing three times a week.

The dance team will be performing at the halftime of the girls’ and boys’ basketball home games.

“The performance I’m looking forward to most is the Marist game because there is always a huge crowd,” said senior Nikki Roberts.

The dance team’s new moves will be on display each night, and you’re not going to want to miss these halftime shows.

LIAM HARDYStaff Writer

Professional choreographers work with dance team

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Choreographers Katie Milne and Kevin Daniels teach the dance team their new routine early one Saturday morning. Milne and Daniels were flown in from Los Angeles to work with the girls. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Liz Ross

centerspreadSeptember 30, 2016

6Golden Lines

SPX welcomes new teachers & staff

Mr. Matt AndersonSocial Studies

Where did you teach before Pius? Wheeler High School as a US History teacherIf you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? I would own a surf shop or shrimp shop on the beach Outside of school, you are most likely to find me... On the golf course of a beach What superpower do you wish you could have? TeleportationIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich

Mr. Chad BarwickPresident

Where did you work before Pius? Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School (principal)If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? Teaching dance because I like to do the running manOutside of school, you are most likely to find me...Reading books to my kids (except “Goodnight Moon,” it makes me angry and I hate it.)What superpower do you wish you could have? Sleep better at night because I’m up 4 to 5 times per nightIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? I came up with the Sriracha flavor and then Lay’s copied me which makes me mad

Mrs. Abby BettencourtCampus Ministry

Where did you work before Pius? I just graduated from Franciscan College If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? In art or graphic designOutside of school, you are most likely to find me... Playing frisbee with my husband or walking around Ponce City MarketWhat superpower do you wish you could have? TeleportationIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Chicken fajita or s’mores

Mrs. Rosanne BowenCampus Ministry

Where did you work before Pius? Holy Redeemer as the head of religious educationIf you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? I have no idea. I can’t imagine not working with teens or people or their faith. I love it.Outside of school, you are most likely to find me... Walking, playing with my grandkids or playing the guitar.What superpower do you wish you could have? Teleportation, so I’ll never be late and I like to travelIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Fried chicken

Mrs. Jean GuilbertMath

Where did you teach before Pius? Westminster Schools, Christ the King, and Atlanta Public SchoolsIf you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? Relaxing on a beach in HawaiiOutside of school, you are most likely to find me... In my kitchenWhat superpower do you wish you could have? FlyIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Lime

Mrs. Melinda MartinAthletics Office

Where did you work before Pius? IHM Admissions DirectorIf you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? FarmerOutside of school, you are most likely to find me... On a tractor or watching a good movieWhat superpower do you wish you could have? FlyIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Salted caramel/toffee

Mrs. Alyson MetzlerFront Office

Where did you work before Pius? I was a Kindergarten Aide at St. John NeumannIf you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? I love people and watching them growOutside of school, you are most likely to find me... Cheering on SPX athletics, doing jigsaw puzzles and hanging with family and friends.What superpower do you wish you could have? I wish I could cure cancerIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Ice cream flavored, my FAVE!!!

Ms. Lindsey NeimoTheology

Where did you teach before Pius? University of Virginia Tech Campus MinistryIf you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing? Dolphin trainer at the Georgia AquariumOutside of school, you are most likely to find me... Watching Netflix on my couch with my roommate (currently “Gilmore Girls”)What superpower do you wish you could have? TeleportationIf you could create a new chip flavor, what would it be? Chocolate covered sea salt caramel

centerspreadSeptember 30, 2016

7Golden Lines

Mrs. Mary PelliLibrary

Where did you work before Pius? The Dekalb LibraryIf you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? Traveling the worldOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... Spending time with my familyWhat super power do you wish you could have? Extreme compassionIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Sweet and salty

Mr. Andrew PudyszTheology

Where did you work before Pius? State FarmIf you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? Car designerOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... With my children (changing diapers)What super power do you wish you could have? Eyeballs on the tips of my fingers to see around cornersIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Arnold Palmer

Mrs. Jessica SowersSocial Studies

Where did you teach before Pius? Forest Park High SchoolIf you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? Working in historical archivesOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... Chasing my one year old in my PJ’sWhat super power do you wish you could have? Apparition to get out of trafficIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Spaghetti sauce

Mr. Kevin StewartPhysical Education

Where did you teach before Pius? Buford Middle SchoolIf you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? I would probably own a baseball card store or Halloween shopOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... Playing hide n’ seek or Just Dance with my kidsWhat super power do you wish you could have? The ability to Tivo conversationsIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Peanut butter and banana

Mr. Ellis ThomasSocial Studies

Where did you teach before Pius? In Panama City, FL as a high school teacherIf you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? Writing history booksOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... Spending time with my wifeWhat super power do you wish you could have? Read people’s mindsIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Coffee

Mrs. Millie TurekFine Arts

Where did you teach before Pius? Whitefield AcademyIf you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? A writerOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... In a rehearsal as an accompanist for the Atlanta Young SingersWhat super power do you wish you could have? Ability to teleportIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Pimento cheese - I love pimento cheese!

Mrs. Arline UmpierreGuidance

Where did you work before Pius? Counselor at Central Gwinnett High School If you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? Own a boutiqueOutside of school you’re most likely to be found... Looking at PinterestWhat super power do you wish you could have? Read people’s mindsIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Something with bacon

Mr. Mike WentzlerScience

Where did you teach before Pius? North Gwinnett High School If you weren’t teaching what would you be doing? PharmacistOutside of school you’re most likely to be found...Playing with my sonWhat super power do you wish you could have? Time travelIf you could create a new chip flavor what would it be? Steak

featuresSeptember 30, 2016

8Golden Lines

LIONTR

AC

KS

Oct. 1: SAT’s at St. Pius X

Oct. 3: Freshman Pilgrimage; Homecoming Week;College Application Deadline #2

Oct. 4: Junior Lion Leader Meeting at 7:15 AM

Oct. 5: Home and School at 7:00 PM

Oct. 7: 8:40 AM Late Start - Pep Rally Schedule; NHS Meeting at 7:45 AM; New Teacher/ Mentor Meeting/ Tech Committee Meeting; Deficiencies

Oct. 8: Saturday School at 8:00 AM-12 PM; Homecoming Dance at 7:30-11:00 PM

Oct. 9: Alumni Mass at 11:00 AM

Oct. 10: No School for Students; Faculty Retreat

Oct. 11: Academic Council; Lion Leader Lunch Meetings

Oct. 13: New Teacher/ Mentor Meeting at 7:15 AM

Oct. 14: Mission Trip Team Meeting; Department Meeting at 7:45; 8:40 AM Late Start -XL Schedule; PSAT writing and Senior Superlatives

Oct. 17: SPAS Meeting at 7:00 PM

Oct. 18: Sophomore Pilgrimage

Oct. 19: 8:40 start PSAT testing; 12:30 dismissal; Teacher Appreciation Luncheon; Mother’s Prayer Group at 8:30 AM; Parent/Teacher Conferences at 4:00 PM

Oct. 20: Fall Play at 7:00 PM

Oct. 21: Fall Play at 7:00 PM; Faculty Meeting at 7:45 AM; All School Mass; 8:40 AM start

Oct. 22: Fall Play at 7:00 PM

Oct. 23: Fall Play Matinee 2:00 PM

Upcoming Events

Charismatic Leader. Welcoming ambassador.Involved participant. Family man. Religiously motivated. St. Pius X’s biggest advocate. All of these descriptions can only be used to encompass one person. But who, you ask yourself? Why, the new man, the new myth, the new legend…the Barwick.

One title, one man and many, many roles. How does he do it all?

“Cloning,” new St. Pius President Mr. Chad Barwick said. “Well, I would, but the Catholic Church doesn’t condone that, so I guess I’ll just have to keep running around the school instead.”

While some may recognize Mr. Barwick’s face from seeing him on campus over the summer, others may have been confused by this new, younger version of principal Mr. Steve Spellman. However, once everyone met the newest

addition to the St. Pius community, they couldn’t help but agree that he is just as great a fit for St. Pius as he knows St. Pius is for him.

Mr. Barwick has quickly adjusted to life at St. Pius, with help from the best element St. Pius has to offer—the families who make up the school. “They’re so friendly and welcoming,” Mr. Barwick said. “I felt at home the first day I was here.”

A normal day as president of St. Pius is very hard to define. According to Mr. Barwick, he often travels to outside businesses and tells them about the students he interacts with, the sporting events he attends, the interesting clubs and activities students participate in, and he “gets to invite people to love that. And I love that,” Mr. Barwick said.

But normal, Mr. Barwick stated, isn’t in his vocabulary. “I’m not an office kind of guy. I like to jump in and

learn,” Mr. Barwick said, which explains why you’ll rarely see him in his office.

Mr. Barwick believes that one of the most important parts of his job is getting to know the students. “If I don’t know the students, then I don’t know St. Pius,” he stated. “But the students here are really nice and friendly, so it makes my job easy,” he said with a smile.

To share some of the daily happenings of St. Pius, Mr. Barwick created an Instagram account, @spxatl. “We want to show how varied and awesome every day is [at St. Pius] so the bigger community can see it,” he said.

“The grandmother of a student thanked me for taking the pictures so she could see what was going on at her granddaughter’s school,” he continued. “We have to share our story. If people can’t see it then they can’t see how awesome we are.”

And sometimes in between events in his crazy schedule, Mr. Barwick does find time to express himself, specifically through drawing roaring golden lions on the Campus Ministry blackboard. The drawings not only connect him to the students but also to his family.

“My mom is a children’s book author,” Mr. Barwick explained, “so as a kid my siblings and I would paint with her at the kitchen table. We all inherited a little of her artistic side. What I do on the blackboard is just doodling, but it is fun to do, and I like having fun.”

There’s also a reason for the trendy bow ties and skinny, solid color ties Mr. Barwick sports from time to time. “I like to wear the bow ties so I can’t get food on my ties,” he said with a laugh. “I bought this skinny tie from the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. I guess you could say I’m like Macklemore, you know, hunting for good deals in the thrift shops.”

Mr. Barwick also appreciates St. Pius’ strong Catholic identity. He is most excited to go on the class pilgrimages. “I’m excited to see the kids in a different locale and watch them as they encounter their journey to Christ,” Mr. Barwick said.

What some may not know is that St. Pius isn’t even the most exiting change in Mr. Barwick’s life. In December, he and his wife are expecting their fifth child. While he hasn’t had any students ask about names, he jokingly said, “Mr. Spellman has it in the bag-- Stevie for a girl and Steven for a boy…wait, no, my wife would kill me!”

Apparently, if he had his way, “which I don’t,” he said, he prefers the name Agnes. But his wife isn’t a fan, so they will probably be taking requests until they can make a unanimous decision.

While you may see Mr. Barwick zipping through the halls, cheering on the football team or observing a dance class, you can be assured that no matter where he is or what he’s doing, he cares about the students of St. Pius and does everything he can to make St. Pius a better place.

The most interesting man at school?

New president Mr. Chad Barwick describes his lively days in the halls of his new homeMEGAN MITTELHAMMEREditor-in-Chief

New St. Pius President Mr. Chad Barwick shows he’s got that lion pride with Junior Lion Leaders Ansley Reese, Megan Mittelhammer, Grace Berg and Lion Leader Coordinator Mrs. Alana McJimpsey during Camp Golden Lion. Sporting his pride number (zero), Mr. Barwick participates in one of the many events held on campus this fall. Staff Photo.

featuresSeptember 30, 2016

9Golden Lines

Most St. Pius X students know Mr. Jim Greenlee as the eccentric computer science teacher who enjoys inserting subtle jokes while lecturing behind his Mac laptop, but very few students know about Mr. Greenlee’s life away from the classroom.

Mr. Greenlee is actually a man of many talents.

“Mr. Greenlee has a lot of diverse interests,” gushed Business and Computer Sci-ence teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Schupp. “Not only is he a computer scientist, he is a diving instructor, a talented musician and a Boy Scout leader.”

Mr. Greenlee arrived at St. Pius in January 2011 af-ter teaching business and computer science at Geor-gia Tech for 15 years. But computer science was not the only course he taught at Georgia Tech.

“I taught computer sci-ence during the day and SCUBA diving at night,” said Mr. Greenlee.

Mr. Greenlee became a certified SCUBA diver in 1992 and a diving instructor two years later after complet-ing a rigorous training pro-gram. Since then he has been

on “well over 1,000 dives” in Florida, the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands and Califor-nia. When asked to name his favorite diving trip, however, Mr. Greenlee was stumped.

“I just love being in the water,” he said.

His passion for diving is evident in his garage, where his equipment occupies the spot where his car should go. “I can’t even tell you how many tanks I have in there,” he said.

Mr. Greenlee’s history as a teacher and comfort in the classroom made him gravi-tate toward the instructional side of diving. Plus, he likes to spread his passions to oth-er people.

“I’m a lifelong learner, and once I learn something new I want to teach it to other people,” said Mr. Greenlee.

While he still remains a certified instructor, he hasn’t taught a diving class in two years. He said he doesn’t have enough time to teach anymore but tries to go on dive trips during the summer or holiday breaks.

“My last dive trip was when I took my wife to Grand Cayman for her birthday,” he said

In addition to being an avid SCUBA diver, Mr.

Greenlee is also a talented musician, specializing in the keyboard. “If you watch him at teacher jam, it’s fascinat-ing,” said Business and Com-puter Science teacher Ms. Ashley Wright.

Still, his hobbies don’t stop there. Mr. Greenlee also loves to hike, and as a Boy Scout leader for 20 years, he was able to do it a lot.

Mr. Greenlee was not a Boy Scout as a kid but said he has always admired nature. “I just love the outdoors,” he said. “I appreciate the effort it takes to get to see a nice view that not everyone gets to see.”

He attributes his love of the outdoors to his family farm in western North Caro-lina. He spent his childhood visiting the farm, which has been in his family since the mid-1700s, and he still trav-els up there for family events.

He started getting in-volved in the Boy Scout pro-gram when his three sons expressed interest at an early age, and he viewed the Boy Scout camping trips as a fam-ily activity.

When he became the com-mittee chair of the troop, or the CEO, Mr. Greenlee also oversaw the business side.

According to Mrs. Sch-

upp, Mr. Greenlee is always eager to try new things.

Ms. Wright agreed, and added, “He’s smart yet quirky. And kind.”

When asked to decide be-tween two of his favorite pas-sions, computer science and SCUBA diving, Mr. Greenlee squirmed in his chair and

laughed. “I can’t choose,” he said,

“but I have to say computer science is my vocation and diving is my avocation.”

“Joy is where you find it,” he added.

Apparently, Mr. Greenlee finds it almost everywhere.

Dive into the unknown world of Mr. GreenleeComputer science teacher is more than meets the eye

HENRY QUEENStaff Writer

Mr. Jim Greenlee climbs back onto the boat after SCUBA diving. He has been on over 1,000 dives. Photo cour-tesy of Mr. Jim Greenlee

Should Taylor Corley go to homecoming with Brennan Quinn?

Taylor, will you go to homecoming with me?? - Brennan

sportsSeptember 30, 2016

10Golden Lines

JUNGLERO

AR

S

UpcomingAthletic Events

Oct. 1: Frehsh-man Volleyball @ Home; Gold and Navy Volleyball @ Wesleyan; Water Polo @ Cumming Aquatic Center; Girl’s and Boys’ Cross Country vs. Great American XC Festival @ WakeMed Complex

Oct. 4: Volleyball vs. North Oconee @ Madison County High School, 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm

Oct. 6: Volleyball Area Playoffs @ Jefferson High School; Freshman Football Playoffs; JV Football vs. Ste-phens County High School @ Stephens County High School, 4:30 pm

Oct. 7: Football vs. Stephens County High School @ Home, 7:30 pm

Oct. 8: Volleyball Area Playoffs @ Jefferson High School; Water Polo State Tournament @ Cumming Aquatic Center; Boys’ Cross Country vs. ASICS Invita-tional @ Fox Hall Farms Sporting Club, 10:20 am

Oct. 9: Water Polo State Championship@ Cumming Aquatic Center

Oct. 13: Freshman Football Playoffs

Oct. 14: Football vs. Oconee Country High School @ Oconee County High School, 7:30 pm

Oct. 15: Girls’ and Boys’ Cross Country Coach Wood Invitational @ Gainesville College; Competition Cheer-leading @ Peachtree Ridge High School, 10:30 am

Oct. 21: Football vs. Jeffer-son High School @ Jefferson High School, 7:30 pm

Oct. 22: Boys’ Cross Coun-try Last Chance Invitational @ Carrollton Elementary School, 10:00 am

Oct. 25: Athletic Association Golf Tournament, 10:00 am

Oct. 26: Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country Region Meet @ North Oconee

High schoolers are al-ready stressed enough as it is managing sports, school work and a social life. But imagine the effort it takes to be a student athlete train-ing for the Olympics.

This may seem impos-sible, but unlike most soph-omores, Ellie Glenn does it all and with a smile on her face.

Glenn started playing soccer at age three practic-ing with her favorite coach, her father. From being a toddler running in the backyard to competitively training to play in future Olympics, Glenn has always had a natural enthusiasm for the game.

Glenn has three older siblings, who have also played soccer at St. Pius X and were strong students. Inspired by her impressive older siblings, Glenn had huge shoes to fill.

And she definitely did not disappoint. Glenn has received, the Region III Golden Ball Award/ U14G MVP, SPX Best Newcomer, and U15 Girls’ National Team Most Inspirational Player.

Her most recent accom-plishment was making the U15 Olympic Develop-ment Program. “There are a lot of really talented girls that could’ve been on the team so I wasn’t expecting a phone call!” remarked Glenn humbly.

Still, all of these achieve-ments were not without hard work and dedication.

Glenn spends one to two hours every day on soccer alone. After school, she sprints to practice and works on fitness, technical drills, patterns and scrim-mages.

During the scrimmage section of her intense prac-tice, Glenn scores goal after goal, tearing up the field left and right.

Coaches also recognize and appreciate the effort Glenn puts into her prac-tices and games.

“One memory that I enjoy a lot about Ellie is during the semifinal game against Buford when she collected the ball at the midfield and dribbled all the way down our offensive half of the field,” said head women’s soccer coach Sara Schmitt. “She beat multiple opponents but as she got closer to the goal she was able to distribute the ball off and we scored from her assist. Her effort and self-lessness was just amazing to watch!”

Glenn also brings this drive off the field and into the classroom.

She spends two to three hours on homework every day and tries to fit in one or two episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” with a couple scoops of Java Chip ice-cream on the side.

Glenn has received many academic awards as

How does this girl do it all? Sophopmore Ellie Glenn excels at soccer and school

ROSE BREWSTERStaff Writer

well, including Duke TIP State Recognition, The Blessed Trinity Catholic High School Book Award, St. Thomas More Academ-ic Excellence Award and President’s Award for Edu-cational Excellence, and the SPX Honors English Award.

Glenn pushes herself by keeping in mind that “there’s always someone,

somewhere working harder than me.”

With this kind of atti-tude and such early success Glenn has a bright future ahead of her.

“I would love to play D1 at a school that has strong soccer and academics,” said Glenn. “My dream of course is to play in the World Cup and the Olympics…but we’ll see!”

After months of intense training, sophomore Ellie Glenn celebrates with her teammates on the U15 Girls National Team after winning an important game against Canada. Photo courtesy of Ellie Glenn

sportsSeptember 30, 2016

11Golden Lines

Water polo captains embody motto “dominate or drown”

Five feet under the sur-face, members of the St. Pius X Water Polo team kick and claw their way to the top of the water and emerge victo-rious at an end-of-practice scrimmage. “Practice is over,” team captain Robert Benoit shouts before jumping out of the pool and toweling off.

Benoit is one of three se-nior captains on the water polo team this season. He, Jordan Chatfield and Andres Garcia arrive at practice ten minutes early, lead warm-up stretches and make sure ev-ery player knows the correct

times and locations of their games. These captains bal-ance these important duties with rigorous college-level class schedules, busy social lives and a surprisingly ad-equate amount of sleep.

All three athletes have been friends and teammates since their freshman year at St. Pius. Both Chatfield and Garcia were recruited by their older brothers who played for the state-cham-pionship-winning team in 2012.

“My brother talked me into trying out. I ended up liking it, so I stuck with it,” Chatfield said of his first ex-

perience playing water polo. Prior to being an A-team

player for St. Pius, Benoit played at his local neighbor-hood pool. “I saw the sign at the open house freshman year and thought, ‘Hey, why not?’ and signed up,” Benoit said.

As part of their leadership re-sponsibilities, the three captains help take charge at practice and fill in for the coaches if they are unable to attend. Meeting twice a week at Dynamo Swim Center, the A, B and C teams start their two-hour long practices with leg drills, stretches and an easy 20-minute swim in the pool.

After warming up, the team captains run drills and make sure their fellow teammates un-derstand the plays. Before end-ing with a scrimmage, the teams play shooting games to improve their accuracy.

As with any captain, added responsibility also means ex-tra dedication. “We get to the pool one hour before the games start, keep everyone calm when they’re stressed, work harder during practices and can’t slack off,” said Benoit of his addition-

al duties. “We’re the leaders of the team and people look to us to know what they’re supposed to do.”

Benoit is also in charge of uploading the game film to a Google document for the play-ers, coaches and parents.

Junior Matt Halbig said of his team captains, “They all motivate us to play harder and lead by example.”

The team finished the reg-ular season undefeated and

earned the top seed heading into the state playoffs. If all goes according to play, they will play in the champion-ship game on October 8 and 9 at the Cumming Aquatic Center.

In addition to the atten-dance of family and close friends, the players agree that a strong student turn-out would encourage and inspire them to come home with a first place trophy.

Making a varsity sport at St. Pius X is hard for any athlete. It requires skill, athleticism and incredible ability, but mak-ing it freshman year is especial-ly impressive. Your first year of high school is intimidating enough with upperclassmen critiquing and judging your every step. Now you have the entire student body counting on you to be just as good as the upperclassmen on your varsity sport.

Freshman Camile Jackson is one of four freshmen on varsity competition cheerlead-ing this year. Coming onto the team Jackson felt intimidated and scared competing with girls she knew nothing about.

However, after team bond-ing at cheer camp this past summer, she said, “the team grew a stronger bond,” that helped the freshmen break out of their shell and enter into the hard world of high school com-petitive cheer.

While most freshmen are like Jackson and have never met their teammates until the season begins, others have the advantage of practicing with them as middle schoolers, in-cluding softball player Josie Lord and cross country runner Morgan Vaden.

“I was already friends with some of the team and knew the coaches fairly well,” said Va-den, who is currently the top runner on the varsity team. Vaden also carpools with se-nior teammate Dana Belville, which helped her get to know the upperclassmen even bet-ter.

Even with the advantage

of knowing teammates be-fore they ever reached high school, these freshmen can still feel pressure at times.

As a pitcher, Lord said she feels “like I need to be perfect every time I step on the field” because so much of the game revolves around her on the mound.

While all high school ath-letes can feel the weight of high expectations at times regardless of their grade lev-el, the pressure can be even higher for freshmen who also have the added stress of making new friends on the team and finding their groove.

Freshman cross country runner John Voss, for exam-ple, had an embarrassing ex-perience at one of the sum-mer practices. While running with senior Frank Crippen and sophomore Rown Wiley at Marist one morning, Voss tripped and fell into a mud-dy patch in the woods

“It was a rough start to the year, but I have made some new friends now,” Voss said.

Many coaches enjoy having freshmen on var-sity teams, including softball coach Mrs. Melissa Ginther, who feels that these rookies oftentimes grow and mature into strong leaders by the time they are juniors and se-niors.

Despite the occasional growing pains that varsity freshmen athletes experi-ence at times, they play crucial roles on their teams and their experiences will help them in the long run as Golden Lions.

Little fish, big pond: Freshmen dive head first into varsity sportsJILL GILBERTStaff Writer

SARAH VAN DUSERStaff Writer

Local police preach safety & awareness while visiting girls cross country team

Senior team captain Jordan Chatfield gets ready to shoot the ball during the 2016 Powerbar Tournament. Photo courtesy of Debra Halbig

The faculty, staff and coaches here at St. Pius X Catholic High School work very hard to keep the students safe every day. But for a sports team who spends most of their daily practices run-ning off campus, the safety risks are much higher, and the girls’ cross country coaches are doing everything they can to make sure their runners stay safe.

Recently, Detective Cushenan from the Chamblee Police De-partment came to advise the team on how to be safe while running.

“At first he commended St. Pius for doing things like running in groups and not wearing head-phones while running, which decreases the potential for being a target,” senior runner Sabrina Guyton said. “But then he put into perspective the seriousness of the crimes that occur in the area and what further things we can do to avoid being a target on the road.”

Detective Cushenan touched on the elevated drug issues as well as gang violence that occurs in the Dresden Park area. He explained that Dresden used to have just a single police officer who patrolled the entire park, but now there's 12 to 15 officers who frequently watch over the Chamblee area.

“I know that when I got in my

car accident, two cops showed up in less than five minutes, which I think is a testament to how ac-cessible the police force is here,” Guyton said.

Along with this 24-hour pa-trol, the Chamblee Police De-partment has many undercover agents stationed in the park. The police are doing their part to keep the runners and other members of the Dresden com-munity safe, but it’s also up to the girls themselves to limit the amount of danger they are ex-posed to while on a run.

The Chamblee Police Depart-ment offers a free women's self-defense class that teaches women different techniques for defend-ing themselves against predators.

“It’s such a great resource and

I had no idea it was available,” said junior Rose Brewster.

Senior Emily Davignon also agrees that “the class is just another way for girls, es-pecially us runners, to feel more confident about being able to protect ourselves when we’re out on a run.”

“There are some nega-tive things going on in our area, but we should not let that hinder the girls’ train-ing, and if that means find-ing new routes or being more aware then we will make those changes,” senior manager Sa-vannah Sampson said. “I was happy the detective came and informed us; it motivated me to learn more ways to protect myself.”

TAYLOR CORLEYEditor-in-Chief

Detective Cushenan addresses the girls cross country team before practice on September 21. The Chamblee police visited the team to teach them about awareness as young female runners. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lou Barnhardt

backsideSeptember 30, 2016

12Golden Lines

Banter

What song best describes your life?

Bre

eze

way

Two students and one teacher are asked a series of random questions...

What is your favorite olympic sport?

if you could change your name, What Would you

change it to?

favorite fast food restaurant?

if you could rule a country, Which one Would you rule?

if you can’t beat em’...

What is the first thing you do When you get home

from school?

Which 90’s rap artist do you most associate With most?

What is your favorite kids tv shoW of all time?

What lay’s chip flavor Would you invent?

Table tennis

Princess Consuela Banana Hammock

Moe’s McDonald’s

Genovia

Cry

Eat taquitos

Missy Elliot

Hannah Montana

Taquitos

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt

Panda Express

Germany

Tell on them

Decide not to do homework

Queen Latifa

The Cosby Show

Usain Bolt

Gymnastics. I used to be a coach.

Mike Wentzler

Whataburger

Monaco

Be happy you at least got to play!

Wait... we are allowed to leave?

Run-DMC

Good Luck Charlie. I’m still sad that it ended

Lasagna

Abby Petersen ‘17 Ben Shiptenko ‘18 Mrs. Bartholomai, Science

SayWhat?!

“‘Here Comes tHe sun’ by tHe beatles” -raCHel blaCkburn ‘17

“‘Gangham Style’” -Elizabeth Pentecost ‘20

“Kidz Bop Uber Everywhere” -Danny Campo ‘18

“Crazy train by Ozzy Osbourne” -Dennise Hernandez ‘17

“‘Work’ by Rihanna” -Kierra Williams ‘18

“‘Forever Halloween’ by The Maine” -Ava Polvino ‘19

“‘Flawless’ by Beyonce” -Madi Reynolds ‘20